[gwnn]

Red/white MP deal:

pd deals and opens 1NT, 12-15, 4333 4432 5m332.

u have a "reasonably nice" hand:

KQxxx
AQTxxx
Ax
nothing

RHO feels he has to make a nuisance of himself and bids 3♦. Your agreements are as follows:

X is general takeout
new suits are forcing
4♦ is major 2-suiter

How would you bid?

[whereagles]

4♦, intending to follow-up with 5♦. Then if pard cues a major, I'll try 5NT trying for a grand. Otherwise I'll settle for 6.

[Fluffy]

4♦ for sure, if you have very clear agreements next is 6♣

[pclayton]

4♦. Great agreement to have here; lets use it. I'm playing at least 6 of a major and will follow up with 6♣ over 5 major.

[Apollo81]

I'd bid 3♥. I don't think LHO will preempt any further, and I think that partner's bid over this will help me more than his bid over a 4♦ call (by me).

[mikeh]

The 4♦ start is a non-brainer: we want to establish a force and partner will get us to the best fit with 3-3 in the majors (compare this to being 6=5=2=0, when 4♦ will get us to the inferior fit on 3=3).

The followup is not so clear.

While one can construct 1N hands opposite which, on the bidding, slam is poor, grand is cold opposite working minimums, so we have to try.

My plan: 5♦ over 4Major.

Opener should force to slam with all hands where slam is cold, and, in doing so, he should tell me (most of the time) when grand is good.

With 4 card support for our agreed major and the two missing major keycards and either the K or the A of ♣s, he should commit us to slam... bidding 6 major without the ♣A and 6♣ with it.

If he bids 6Major, I pass: we may be able to avoid a slow ♦ loser, but I am not risking it.

If he bids 6♣, then I have a comfortable raise to 7major.

If he bids 5Major, I am raising to small slam, giving up on grand: if he has the ♣A, we are either lacking a major keycard or he has a poor fit... say Axx Kx Qxx KQxxx.